Apparatus for handling bottles or like containers.



O. EIGK.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING BOTTLES OR LIKE CONTAINERS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.19, 1907. 999,553.

Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

3-SHEETS-SHBET 1.

All

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPB co, WASHINGTON, D. C.

:lllLIllllll z: nnim with ease:

l/Mama 0. EIOK.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING BOTTLES 0R LIKE CONTAINERS. APPLICATION FILEDDEC, 19, 1907.

999,553, Patented Aug. 1,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

a 1mm H P1 WM no COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 110-. WASHINGTON. D. c.

- 0. EIGK.

iAPPABATUS FOR HANDLING BOTTLES 0R LIKE CONTAINERS.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 19, 1907.

999,553. Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

711 V AIQ/i- UNTTFQD TATE PATENT @FFTQE.

OTTO EICK, OF BALTIDIOBE, MARYLAND.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING BOTTLES OR LIKE CONTAINERS.

Application filed December 19, 1807.

I '0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that T, OTTO EIOK, a citizen of the United States, residingat Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Apparatus for Handling Bottles or LikeContainers, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to improvements in apparatus for handlingbottles or like containers, the construction and advantages of whichwill be hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the annexeddrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, the upper portion thereofbeing shown in section; Fig. 2 a transverse vertical sectional view, onthe line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 an end elevation of the forward orinfeeding end of the apparatus; Fig. 4 a sectional elevation of thetrack and tracksupporting means; Fig. 5 a horizontal sectional view,taken on the line 55 of Fig. a; Fig. 6 a perspective view of the end ofone of the supporting arms or brackets; Fig. 7 a similar view of one ofthe rotary track-supports, portions thereof being shown as separated;and Fig. 8 a perspective view of one of the springs employed to maintainthe tracks and track-supporting memhere in their proper relations so asto always be in position to receive the basket or carrier.

The main object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficientmachine, in which baskets or the like holding bottles or othercontainers may be passed successively through the apparatus from one endto the other and subjected to fluids for the purpose of cleaning thebottles, or fluids at different temperatures for the purpose ofpasteurizing the contents of the bottles or containers.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the heatabsorbed by the bottles as they pass from the compartment wherein theyare subjected to the hot fluid may be utilized to heat the water orother fluid which is sprayed initially upon the bottles as they enterthe machine.

Vfith these and other objects in view, which will appear from thespecification, a description of the invention will be given.

The apparatus comprises a tank divided into a series of compartments,primarily that into which the bottles are introduced and given theirinitial heating; a middle compartment (or series of compartments)Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, H911.

Serial No. 407,212.

wherein the bottles are subjected to a fluid having a highertemperature; and a discharge compartment wherein the bottles or othercontainers are treated by a spray which cools the bottles before theyleave the machine. The water which is sprayed upon the bottles in thedischarge compartmentis heated by the bottles and utilized to secure theinitial heating thereof in the first compartment.

Mounted within the various compartments is a series of frames carryingswiveled supports, each adapted and designed to hold a basket, in whichare placed a series of bottles, the frames being mounted upon a commonshaft and rotated therewith, so that the baskets are moved around in thetank and subjected to the fluid contained in the lower portion thereof.The shaft is brought to rest periodically, and means are provided forshifting the baskets from one compartment to another, and finallydischarging the same from the tank.

Where the apparatus is not employed to pasteurize the material containedwithin the bottles, the bottles may be subjected to various cleansingfluids, either hot or cold, and as they are lowered into the firstcompartment of the tank they will become filled with liquid and soremain until they pass out of the tank.

In the drawings A denotes the tank, which is divided into threecompartments, B, C and D. A shaft E passes through the end walls of thetank and the partitions between the compartments, the shaft at thedischarge end of the machine being provided with a ratchet-wheel F. Apawlcarrier Gr is swiveled upon the shaft and a pawl H operates inconjunction with the ratchet-wheel, and by reciprocating the pawlcarriera step-by-step rotation may be imparted to the shaft. Any means may beemployed for effecting this action.

A gear I is splined to the shaft at the intake or feeding end of themachine, said gear meshing with a smaller gear J mounted upon astub-axle K, said axle also carrying a large gear L which in turn mesheswith a smaller gear l I, secured to a sleeve N journaled upon the outerreduced end of the shaft E. Said sleeve carries two frames or castingsboth being alike in form. Each frame comprises two oppositely-disposedarms 0, forked at their outer ends and carrying brackets P, the innerends of which are of the form shown in Fig. 6; that is to say, eachextremity is provided with a semicylindrical hub or bearing Q, the outerportions of which project beyond the wall of the bracket, as clearlyindicated in Figs. 5 and 6. The bearing members of the brackets standdirectly opposite each other and the edges thereof are separated to aslight extent to permit the passage of the basketsupporting member,hereinafter referred to, between them.

Mounted upon each of the half-hubs or bearings Q is a track-supportingmember, comprising end plates R, having inwardlyprojecting ribs S whichlatter pass in rear of and engage the back faces of the bearings Q, seeFig. 5. The end plates are connected by a track-sustaining member orblock T, one face of which is curved and fits closely against the innercurved face of the half-hub or bearing. The track-supporting member Tupon the opposite face is so formed as to receive an L-shaped track Uwhich is bolted thereto. The tracks and the supporting members to whichthey are attached are duplicated and arranged in pairs, and the tracksextend from one pair, carried by one of the arms 0, to the oppositepair, mounted upon the second arm 0.

In order to maintain the tracks in their separated position and thushold them so that the basket-sustaining angle-bar V may freely passbetween the same, I provide a pair of oppositely-disposed springs W, thesprings being forced back against the tracks, thus permitting the readyentrance of the head of the basket-sustaining member. As the head passesout of contact with the springs, they will resume the positions shown inFig. 5 and thus hold the parts in the positions indicated in Fig. a.

With the gears arranged as shown in Fig. 3, the arms 0 will bealternately brought into line with an opening X in one end of the tank,in order that the sustaining member V and the basket Y carried therebymay be passed into the tank and onto the tracks U carried by the framesZ mounted upon the shaft within the first compartment B. These tracksare arranged in the same manner as those just described. The frames,however, are slightly different and are shown in detail in Fig. 2. Eachframe is provided with a series of outwardly-extending arms A, to whichare secured bracket-pieces or arms B which are, to all intents andpurposes, the mechanical equivalent of the brackets P, except that theyare elongated and a hub or bearing member is formed at each end thereof. The construction of the hubs or bearing members is exactly similarto that shown in Fig. 6. Openings C are formed between the arms A, sothat the baskets and their sustaining members may be moved along fromone pair of frames to the next succeeding pair, and from one compartmentto the other when the shaft E is at rest and the parts are in thepositions shown in the drawings.

To advance the baskets from the present ing devices (comprising the armsQ) into the tank and onto the tracks within the first compartment, andto thereafter advance them successively from one compartment to another,and finally from the machine, I may employ any structure which will periodically engage the basket-sustaining members and move the sameforwardly one step, or between one pair of supporting arms or frames tothe track carried by the next pair of supporting arms or frames.

In the drawings I have shown a pair of bars D and E, the upper barhaving an initial endwise movement independent of the bar D, after whichboth bars move forwardly together. Hooks F are pivotally connected tothe lower bar, and arms G connected to the hooks are likewise pivotallyconnected at their upper ends to the bar E. It will thus be seen thatwhen the bar E is moved in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1,independently of the bar D, the hooks will be rocked upon their pivotsand thrown downwardly into position to engage the rear end of thebasket-sustaining members V. Further movement of the sector gear II bythe rack I will advance both of the bars together and move the basketsforwardly one step. A reverse movement of the rack I will cause thedisengagement of the hooks, the upper bar E being moved rearward independently of the bar D through the action of a spring J, after whichboth bars will move backwardly together, with the hooks in an elevatedposition, until they come to the point shown in Fig. 1. It isconceivable, of course, that any means may be employed for advancing thebottle-sustaining baskets. If the machine be used as a pasteurizer, apump K (Fig. will be employed to spray water of the required temperatureupon the bottles asthey pass into and through the central compartment orcompartments C.

In order to abstract the heat from the bottles as they pass through thecompartment D, I connect a pipe L with the lower portion of saidcompartment, the pipe leading to a pump M, which is also incommunication with the lower portion of the compartment B through a pipeN. The pump M is provided with a single outlet 0, from which a branch Pextends to a pipe, or series of pipes, Q, located in the upper portionof the compartment D, so that the water passing from the pump is sprayedover the bottles as they pass into and out of said compartment D. A pipeR also leads from the outlet 0, said pipe connecting with a spray pipe,or series of pipes, located in the upper portion of the compartment B.It will thus be seen that the water which is drawn from the lowerportions of the compartments l3 and D is commingled or mixed in the pumpM and water relatively warmer than that drawn from the compartment Bwill be sprayed upon the bottles passing into said compartment, whilewater relatively colder than that drawn from the compartment I) will besprayed onto the bottles passing into said compartment. Thus the latentheat of the bottles passing from compartment G into compartment D isutilized to heat the water which is sprayed upon the bottles passinginto the compartment B, and the bottles are initially heated before passing into the compartment or compartments C where they are subjected tothe highest temperature. This arrangement will also be utilized when thebottles are being merely washed or cleaned, as it will gradually bringthe bottles up to the temperature of the hottest water or cleaningsolution, and likewise temper the bottles before they pass out of thetank.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a tank,a rotatable shaft extending through the tank; fixed bearings for theshaft; a frame mounted on the shaft; a series of rotary track-supportscarried by the frame and rotatable with reference thereto; and tracksmounted upon said supports and adapted to receive and sustain areceptacle for bottles or the like.

2. In combination with a rotary frame; a pair of oppositely-disposedtrack-supports journaled therein; and tracks extending from one supportto the other and adapted to receive and sustain a receptacle for bottlesor the like.

3. In combination with a rotary frame; a pair of oppositely-disposedtrack-supports journaled therein; means for holding said supportsagainst endwise movement; and a pair of oppositely-disposed trackssecured to said supports.

4. In combination with a tank; a shaft extending therethrough; a seriesof frames mounted upon the shaft and rotatable there with; a series oftrack-supports journaled in each of said frames; and tracks carried bythe supports and adapted to move therewith.

5. In an apparatus of the character specified, the combination of ashaft; a pair of frames carried thereby; a pair of bearing membersswiveled upon each frame; and oppositely-disposed trackscarried by saidbearing members, the edges of the tracks being separated and adapted toreceive a sustaining device for a basket or the like.

6. In an apparatus of the character specified, the combination of ashaft; a pair of frames carried thereby, said frames being separatedfrom each other; a series of swiveled bearings mounted in each of saidframes, the bearings being arranged in line with pockets formed in theframes; and a pair of tracks extending from each pair of bearingscarried by one frame to the oppositely-disposed bearings carried by theother frame, the lower edges of the tracks being separated and adaptedand designed to receive a sustaining member for a basket or likereceptacle.

7. In combination with a shaft; a pair of frames secured thereto;brackets carried by the outer portions of the frames, the adjacent endsof the brackets being separated and formed with a semi-cylindrical hubor bearing; a pair of retaining members provided with shoulders engagingthe outer faces of the hubs; a filling block formed with a rounded faceadapted to fit against the inner face of each bearing, said block beingconnected to the retaining members; an L-shaped track secured to saidbearing member, said track extending from said member to the like membercarried by the connecting block or member upon the opposite bearing; andmeans for maintaining the tracks in their proper relation to each other.

8. In combination with a shaft; a pair of frames mounted thereon, eachof said frames being provided with pockets adjacent to its outerportion; brackets secured to the outer portion of said frame, the endsof the brackets extending out from the pockets and being separated fromeach other; a semi-cylindrical hub or bearing formed upon the end ofeach bracket; retaining members mounted upon the ends of the hub andprovided with inwardly-projecting flanges which engage the outer face ofthe hub; a block provided with a rounding face fitting the inner surfaceof the hub and connected to the retaining members; L-shaped tracksconnected to said block and to the corresponding block upon theoppositelydisposed frame; and springs secured to the opposite tracks,said springs normally contacting with each other and serving to keep thelower, inwardly-projecting portions of the track in a separatedposition.

9. In combination with a tank provided with a series of compartments;means for sustaining bottles in said compartments; means for advancingthe bottles from one compartment to the next and finally from the tank;a pump; pipe connections leading from the lower portion of the first andlast compartments in the tank to said pump; and connections leading fromthe pump and serving to force water into the upper portion of the firstand last compartments of the tank.

10. In an apparatus of the character specifled, the combination of atank provided with a series of compartments; means contained in saidtank for sustaining a series of bottles therein; a pump serving toWithdraw the Water from the first and last compartments; and a singleoutlet passing from the pump and serving to distribute the Water intothe upper portion of said first and last compartments.

11. In combination With a tank having a series of compartments; meansfor sustaining a series of bottles therein; means for subjecting thebottles in the intermediate compartment to fluid having a relativelyhigh temperature; a pump serving to draw the fluid from the lowerportion of the first and last compartments; and pipes leading from theoutlet of the pump and serving to spray the fluid Withdrawn from thefirst and last compartments into the upper portion of said compartments.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

OTTO EIOK.

Witnesses:

HOWARD E. CRUsE, JACOB F. MURBAOH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

